Letters1 June 2010Use of Opioids in Management of Chronic Noncancer PainA. Thomas McLellan, MD and Barbara J. Turner, MD, MSED, Executive Deputy EditorA. Thomas McLellan, MDFrom White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Washington DC 20503, and Executive Deputy Editor.Search for more papers by this author and Barbara J. Turner, MD, MSED, Executive Deputy EditorFrom White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Washington DC 20503, and Executive Deputy Editor.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-152-11-201006010-00025 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:The remarks from Dr. Gelfand and Dr. Kornfeld exemplify the wide spectrum of opinions about the use of opioids for chronic noncancer pain. Dr. Gelfand questions the use of these drugs in persons with mental health disorders, and Dr. Kornfeld takes issue with our suggestion that high-dose opioids should be avoided. However, Dr. Gelfand accurately emphasizes the high prevalence of comorbid mental health disorders in persons prescribed opioids. In a national population-based community survey (1), persons with a history of mood disorder (such as depression and anxiety disorder) were more than 4 times more likely than persons without ...